Author Archive - Ethics &Compliance Matters ™, Navex Global ®

Ethics & Compliance Matters™ is the official blog of NAVEX Global®. All articles posted on the Inside Internal Controls blog originally appeared on NAVEX Global’s Ethics and Compliance Matters Blog. The blog leverage the news, insights and best practices you find here to stay ahead of GRC trends, and take your compliance program to the next level. Read more

I’ve been studying fraud and white collar-crime for over 20 years. Never would I think that I’d be accused of making a fraudulent claim against a company that had wronged me. And yet, I’ve recently been accused of exactly that.

Experience has shown us time and again that, of all the elements contributing to effective investigations, investigators consistently dedicate insufficient time and effort in a few critical areas; four to be exact.

That recent academic research finding that strong internal reporting correlates to better business outcomes is welcome news for corporate compliance professionals, with all sorts of implications for how to run a compliance program smartly.

If indeed creating a culture of ethics, integrity and respect is the top objective of more than two-thirds of organizations, we could start seeing the results very soon when it comes to a new wave of investing in third-party systems.

To gauge the civility of an organization’s culture, adequate policies and training are not enough. The behavior and accountability of top leadership play a key role. You can’t delegate ethics. And it seems the “Weinstein Clause” indicates that boards are finally beginning to understand that.

Organizations should be applauded for their improvements in board compliance training. But they need to keep working, to channel their increased focus on board awareness and to make sure that their directors are getting the right training to truly lead their organizations.

The recent media attention on sexual harassment in the workplace, arising from #MeToo and the publicity surrounding allegations of wrongdoing by powerful celebrities and executives, has resulted in a quantum boost for awareness of the issues.

To manage the Europe Union’s new GDPR properly, ethics and compliance officers need to consider many parts within their organization, from IT capabilities, exception clauses, and customer service demands. And these parts must be managed and organized in such a way that they work together so that they do not fall apart.

Empathy is not a term often used in regard to boards of directors, but it needs to be. It cannot continue to be a trait that corporate leaders shed as they climb the ranks. Leaders need to think outside the boardroom and own their role in eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace.

There is no denying the alarming scope and prevalence of workplace sexual harassment. For the past several months, it seems not a day goes by without news of another troubling example of egregious workplace behavior. Victims of sexual harassment have moved beyond simply speaking up; they are now standing up, speaking out and making sure their voices are heard.

Psychological safety refers to the climate in which people operate, think and speak. A psychologically safe climate is one in which people feel comfortable being themselves and expressing themselves without the fear of retribution. This concept is directly applicable to the group dynamics of teams trying to spitball the next big thing; however, when we expand this view to our largest corporate group, the employee base, we start to see a lot of overlap with a true speak-up culture.